WPAD Clears Claremont Avenue!

Oakland's Wildfire Prevention Assessment District cleared Claremont Avenue today!  We can actually see a shoulder so bicyclists can ride without being pushed into the fast moving traffic,  and a parking turn-out near the old 1920's built trail (that the Garber Park Stewards are restoring) into Garber Park was revealed.

Thank you, Vince Crudele, the newly hired WPAD vegetation management supervisor, for getting this done.  We've never seen such a thorough job on Claremont Ave.

Thank you Cal-Berkeley Rotaract Students

On November 2,  the Garber Park Stewards hosted 21 Cal Berkeley students from Rotaract Club.  For two hours these energetic students helped us rid Garber of invasive weeds, and helped us prepare an area for planting.  Thanks to all the students and to the two Bob's for leading this awesome group.

One group prepared a slope just below Fire Place Plaza for
Winter Planting

Pulling ivy along Claremont Ave. 

Removing Himalayan Blackberry re-growth in
Horsetail Meadow.

See Cal Rotaract pictures and read their blog post.

October - a Rewarding Month of Restoration Activities

October was a busy month in Garber, from a fun habitat restoration day, to the sad but expected news that Sudden Oak Death is spreading in Claremont Canyon and other parts of the East Bay, to our onsite visit and planning session with Lech Naumovich, Golden Hour Restoration Institute.  The Garber Park Stewards and Golden Hour are once again offering several exciting and informative workshops this Winter season.  Highlights below:

October Saturday Workday.   THANK YOU to all of our wonderful volunteers  - we couldn’t do it without you!  Seventeen volunteers came to contribute to Garber’s restoration, which allowed us to split into several groups.   One group dug up Himalayan Blackberries that were invading the 1^st Creek along the Lower Loop Trail. which will allow the thimbleberries and ferns to continue to fill in this beautiful creek area..  Another group focused on the Sylvan Trail, cutting ivy from the trees and around the ferns.  A third group stayed at the Evergreen Lane Restoration area, pulling invasive weeds and cutting back the Bromus, revealing lovely new sprouts under the blanket of leaves.  A most satisfying day. 

On-Site planning with Lech Naumovich, Executive Director of Golden Hour Restoration Institute.  We always look forward to our quarterly planning sessions with Lech where we assess the status of Garber, monitor our restoration sites, and plan future stewardship priorities and workshops.  This year,  because of the lack of rain – it has been the driest year (January-October) on record - Garber does look parched.  So, we were pleasantly surprised to find that most of our seedlings, buried under a blanket of leaves, appeared to be alive and well,  waiting for the rains before springing back to life.  It will be very interesting to see what the return of the rains produces at our restoration sites. 

Citizen Science Workshops.  The Garber Park Stewards are excited to be partnering with Golden Hour for several exciting workshops throughout the winter season, beginning with a Woodland Understory Restoration on Sunday, December 8.  Below Fireplace Plaza we have found a large flat area where the ivy has not yet totally blanketed and engulfed the area.  Lech will discuss best practices and keys for ivy removal which we will then remove from the project site, find and flag any new natives we find in the area, and, if the soil is wet, create a small woodland habitat using existing nearby materials.  And, most exciting of all, Lech said this will be a great workshop for another TimeLapse Video!    

Help Golden Hour become a top-rated non-profit  by spending just 2-3 minutes filling out a review at http://greatnonprofits.org/reviews/golden-hour-restoration-institute/ by the end of October so that Golden Hour can become a “top rated” program.   Most of you know that Lech Naumovich, restoration ecologist and Executive Director of Golden Hour Restoration Institute has been The Garber Park Stewards most valued advisor for the past four years.  Many of you have participated in the informative, educational and FUN workshops that Lech has conducted in Garber.    Golden Hour’s dedication to restoring and protecting the environment is unsurpassed.  Help spread the word about this amazing organization!

Habitat Restoration Workday, Saturday, Oct. 10, 10AM-Noon

Creek to Bay Day Before the Rain.  Over 20 volunteers made
this year's CTBD an overwhelming success.  In spite of the
rain this hardy group dug and chopped the fire prone
invasives for two hours before the "buckets of rain" forced them
to quit.  THANKS TO ALL!!

GARBER PARK OCTOBER HABITAT RESTORATION WORKDAY

 Saturday, October 19, 10AM-Noon

 Please join us for our monthly Saturday workday as we continue to pull the invasive weeds (Himalayan blackberry, Cape ivy, erhardta grass) from our Restoration sites in preparation for winter planting.

We will also continue restoring the trail from Fireplace Plaza to Claremont Ave. We’re making great progress, but there’s still much more work to be done before the trail is usable.

Meet at the Evergreen Lane Entrance to Garber Park.  Directions:  From Ashby take Alvarado Rd to Slater Lane, turn Right onto Evergreen Ln.  The entrance is at the end of the street.  

For all workdays in Garber: 

Wear long sleeves and pants, and shoes with good tread. 

Drinks, snacks, tools and gloves are provided, but do bring your own gloves and water bottle if you have them. 

For more information contact Shelagh garberparkstewards@gmail.com

**Our twice-a-month Habitat Restoration Workdays - the 1st Tuesday and the 3rd Saturday of the month - will resume in November.  

SUDDEN OAK DEATH BLITZ EAST BAY RESULTS

SUDDEN OAK DEATH BLITZ EAST BAY RESULTS

THURSDAY, OCT. 3, 7-8:30pm

159 MULFORD HALL, UC BERKELEY, CA

Dr. Matteo Garbellotto will discuss results of the April SOD Blitzes, present the first analyses on five years of surveys, and introduce several new APPS (SODMAP mobile for iPhone and for Android) to fully take advantage of the BLITZES data.

For more information go to www.matteolab.orghttp://nature.berkeley.edu/garbelotto/english/sodblitzfollowup.php

SUDDEN OAK DEATH TREATMENT WORKSHOPS

In addition, Dr. Garbellotto will be conducting Sudden Oak Death (SOD) Treatment Workshops throughout the Bay Area in October and November.  Learn how to identify SOD affected trees, how and when to inoculate trees, and how to become a “citizen scientist” with the SOD identification and prevention effort.

East Bay Treatment Workshops: 

10/20 Sun 10am Tilden Regional Park - Spillway picnic area (near Lake Anza). Amelia Marshall - Amelia.marshall@att.net

10/23 Wed 1pm UC Berkeley - UC Berkeley Campus, SOD Treatment Training

11/24 Sun 1pm Oakland - Joaquin Miller Park, Oakland, CA Kimra McAfee - coordinator@sausalcreek.org 

For further information on these meetings and a complete list of workshops throughout the BayArea  http://nature.berkeley.edu/garbelotto/english/sodblitzfollowup.php

                                SUDDEN OAK DEATH IN GARBER PARK

 

The Garber Park Stewards have participated in the Sudden Oak Death Blitz for the past three years.  Unfortunately, results from the blitzes have confirmed SOD in several of the Coast Live Oaks in Garber.  In April, 2011, Lech Naumovich, botanist and Executive Director of Golden Hour Restoration Institute (golden hour.org) conducted a workshop on SOD in Garber.  Read more and download a copy of his informative hand-out

For more information on Sudden Oak Death in Garber Park and ways you can help prevent the spread of SOD in Claremont Canyon contact Shelagh at garberparkstewards@gmail.com.

                                 CREEK TO BAY DAY in GARBER PARK
                                SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
              MEET AT THE EVERGREEN LANE ENTRANCE 
                        AT 9AM.  WE WILL WORK TILL NOON.

Please join us for our  4^th year in participating in the City of Oakland’s Creek to Bay Day.  We will be working along Harwood Creek, pulling invasive weeds that keep wanting to invade this lovely Restoration Site.  The natives are making a tremendous recovery but we need to clear the invasives so we can continue our winter planting later this year.  And for those of you interested in our Trail Project, we will be cutting back ivy out of the trees and along the old trail from Fireplace Plaza to Claremont Ave., and cutting steps in the steepest slopes as we continue the work to make this pathway safe.  

Four years ago the Harwood Creek Restoration Area was covered in Himalayan blackberries and Cape ivy.  Today, the natives are now dominating and include willow, snowberry, thimbleberry, and  milkweed (an important bee pollinator). 

Meet at the Evergreen Lane entrance at 9AM for drinks and snacks before we walk to Harwood Creek to admire the restoration progress and begin our work.

We'll work till Noon.

Wear long sleeves and pants, and shoes with good tread.  Tools, gloves, drinks, and snacks are provided, but do bring your own gloves and water bottle if you have them.

For more information, a map and directions go to www.garberparkstewards.org or contact Bob Strayer rstrayer@2011.nhi.edu.

Help Remove Fire Prone Invasive Weeds

GARBER PARK AUGUST VOLUNTEER WORKDAYS 
 TUESDAY, AUGUST 6
SATURDAY, AUGUST 17

MEET AT THE EVERGREEN LANE ENTRANCE AT 10AM

Lech Naumovich, Shelagh Brodersen, and Bob Strayer in
Horsetail Meadow during a recent on-site  GPS planning
meeting.  Bob will be leading the workdays in August
and September.  Thanks Bob
  

Join us in the cool shade of Garber’s native oak woodland as we continue removing fire prone invasive plants and performing maintenance on the Loop Trail.  We will also continue working on restoring the old 1920’s trail from Fireplace Plaza to the parking turn-out on Claremont Ave. 

Our Summer invasive weed pull continues - volunteers have made tremendous progress -  but the hillside at the Evergreen Lane entrance continues to need invasive weed removal, especially above the trail.  Erhardta grass is the main invader here, and needs to be removed to allow the more fire-safe natives to thrive.  The Trail Crew has scoped out the old trail all the way to Claremont Ave.  This trail, which could be an important escape route in the event of a fire, still needs much work before it is usable and we could use your help.  While these tasks are on our steep rugged hillsides, we also have some beautiful flat areas along the Loop Trail needing maintenance to keep the trail open.

Wear long sleeves and pants, and shoes with good tread.

Drinks, snacks, tools, and gloves are provided, but do bring your own gloves and water bottle and gloves if you have them.

Meet at the Evergreen Lane entrance at 10AM.  For a map and directions www.garberparkstewards.org, or contact Shelagh garberparkstewards@gmail.com.